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Kendall Jenner has been laying low following the huge backlash to her Pepsi commercial that was pulled for being highly offensive and insensitive.
The 21-year-old hasn’t updated her social media accounts since, and has been seen only a couple of times, always hiding her face from the cameras.
“Kendall is absolutely heartbroken by how everything has turned out, she had no idea it would end up like this,” an insider told The Sun.
“She’s taking time out from the limelight to come to terms with everything.
“It’s very upsetting for her, she never meant for any of this to happen.”
Pepsi pulled the commercial after a few days and apologised, admitting they “missed the mark” after widespread outrage.
The two-and-a-half-minute clip, which has been taken down but can currently still be found on YouTube depicted a protest march. It showed Jenner leaving a photoshoot to join the protesters, where she grabbed a can of Pepsi and handed it to a police officer who took a sip, prompting the crowd to cheer and celebrate. Yes, apparently racism and prejudice can all be solved with a can of Pepsi!
The ad was widely criticised for making light of protest movements and the Black Lives Matter movement in America in particular, where tensions often run high between protesters and the police presence, and misrepresenting the experience of protesters who face serious dangers when they take to the street.
It became the subject of memes and jokes online, with even Martin Luther King Jr’s daughter Bernice King tweeting her disgust.
If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi. pic.twitter.com/FA6JPrY72V
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 5, 2017
Kendall was paid millions for the contract but part of the agreement undoubtedly means she is unable to talk about the fallout. Many though have questioned if Jenner had to approve the ad before its release, and to what extent she should be blamed for the tone-deaf commercial and all-round massive fail.
